Small Intestine Blood Vessels

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Small Intestine Blood Vessels

Photograph by Susumu Nishinaga

This colored scanning micrograph shows a cast of blood vessels from the external wall of the small intestine. Measuring about 22 feet (6.7 meters) in length, the small intestine performs most of the major digestion and absorption of nutrients. The walls of the small intestine are lined with millions of projections called villi, which absorb and transmit nutrients into the bloodstream.